Fund Raising Soars In Springs Cost Of Campaigning Hits High

February 27, 1990|By JEFFREY RUBIN, Staff Writer

CORAL SPRINGS -- The cost of campaigning in Coral Springs has hit an all- time high this year, driven upward by new levels of election vitriol and elaborate techniques to reach voters in a growing community.

This year, two candidates -- mayoral hopeful Roger Silversmith and incumbent City Commissioner Don Sanders -- were the two biggest fund-raisers as of Friday, the most recent deadline for contribution reports. Sanders led the field with $38,827, followed by Silversmith with $29,577.

The money raised contrasts sharply with the salaries paid to those who get elected: The mayor earns $6,000 a year, and a commissioner earns $4,800 a year.

In total, the six candidates for Coral Springs office have raised $116,241. In 1988, five candidates had raised less than half that amount, $48,844, during an entire campaign in the city, which has a population of about 80,000. Fund-raising figures are expected to increase with two more weeks left until the March 13 election.

In contrast, total fund-raising contributions this year in Pompano Beach, a comparably sized city with three races and six candidates, have amounted to $35,064. City Commissioner S. Randy Kester Jr. has raised the most money -- $14,700.

Neither city comes close to the fund raising in Fort Lauderdale, a city of about 150,000 that in 1988 saw two candidates put together $100,000 campaigns.

In the last Coral Springs race in 1988, the largest war chest belonged to Commissioner Janet Oppenheimer, who raised $14,936 during her entire campaign. Previously, the largest sum raised for a Coral Springs election was $21,773, by Sanders in 1986.

In this election, Sanders began campaigning last fall.

Sanders, seeking a fourth term on the commission, has spent $9,971 of his contributions on the services of a Pompano Beach firm called Miller Consulting Group. It is the first time Sanders has used a political consultant to conduct phone surveys and design his mailings.

``I think the city is getting rather large, and I thought it would be better to run a more professional campaign,`` he said.

The leap in Coral Springs contributions is seen as a response to the city`s growth and its prospects for expansion. The city has about 1,000 acres of undeveloped land zoned for commercial and industrial growth in prime areas. Observers say the prospect of influencing this economic development has raised the political stakes.

Also, a growing population has brought new voters and campaign challenges to Coral Springs.

``Just to get your message out, it takes more (money) to do that,`` said Matt Wisely, a spokesman for the Coral Ridge Properties development firm, who has observed local politics for a decade.

According to the Broward Supervisor of Elections Office, there are 31,022 registered voters in Coral Springs, up 3,000 in 1988.

To reach those voters, candidates have spent thousands of dollars on newspaper ads. Sanders, Commissioner Jeanne Mills, who is running for mayor, and commission candidate Bill Stradling have used the ads to accuse the challengers of threatening to undermine the city`s strict sign and tree preservation codes to foster economic investment.

In turn, ads by Silversmith and commission candidates Alan Polin and Bill Griffin, say the incumbents are stifling economic growth and wasting city money on political friends.

The result of this has been a pitched political battle, one requiring substantial financing to sustain.

``The city is at a crossroads,`` Mills said. ``There`s more at stake here. We can develop the place so it looks awful, or have it mature like a respectable, well-groomed city.``